No. 19/23 UCLA Returns to Host Arizona Schools -- No. 19 (AP)/23 (ESPN/USA Today) UCLA (11-3, 5-0 in the Pac-10) returns to Pauley after sweeping the Washington schools for the second straight season this past weekend. The Bruins, who have won five straight games overall and their last 10 games at home, will host Arizona State (11-4, 3-2) on Friday night at 7 p.m. and Arizona (11-4, 3-2) at 2 p.m. on Sunday.

Quick Recap -- The Bruins used a season-high 25-point effort from Lisa Willis to race past Washington State on Jan. 9. UCLA closed the first half on a 16-5 run and took control of the game in the second half thanks to 17 of Willis' points. After falling behind Washington 20-10 in the early going, the Bruins rallied to take a 39-29 halftime lead in Seattle on Jan. 9. UCLA went on to lead by double digits for most of the second half before UW rallied and cut the margin to three with about four minutes to play. Two free throws each by Willis and Lindsey Pluimer got the Bruins back on track for the win.

Bruins In The Rankings -- The Bruins checked in at the No. 19 spot on the Associated Press poll (Jan. 10) and at No. 23 on last week's ESPN/USA Today poll. UCLA moved into the AP rankings at No. 25 on Nov. 29 after defeating Texas, and debuted at No. 20 in the ESPN/USA Today poll on Dec. 6 after the Purdue win. It was the first time UCLA had been ranked in the AP poll since the week of Feb. 21, 2000, when the Bruins were ranked No. 22 after defeating No. 15 Arizona. UCLA was ranked as high as fourth in the 1999-2000 season.

On Air -- The games will be internet broadcast on uclabruins.com (streaming video and audio). Dave Marcus and Michael Sondheimer will call the action. Sunday's Arizona contest will be aired on XTRA Sports 690/1150 am.

Bruin Notes -- The record of the Bruin non-conference opponents is 70-39 entering this week's play ... The Bruins have won 10 straight home games (6-0 this season) over the past two seasons (the last time the Bruins won 10 or more games at home was in the last six games of the 1989-90 season and the first four games of 1990-91) ...The 5-0 Bruin start in the Pac-10 is UCLA's best since the 2002-03 team opened 6-0 ... The Pac-10 championship squad won the first nine games of the conference season in 1998-99 ... A 6-1 season start was UCLA's best beginning to a season since the 1980-81 UCLA team won its first 12 games ... Noelle Quinn has scored in double digits in the last 35 consecutive games ... Lisa Willis set a new school record for career three-pointers during the win over Oregon State ...Nikki Blue became the 20th Bruin to reach the 1,000-point mark for her career during the second half of the Fresno State contest ... Blue ranks second in the Pac-10 in assists (5.15) ... The Bruins own a 14-0 record when Quinn scores at least 20 points in a game ... Quinn is second in the Pac-10 in scoring (18.0) and steals (3.29), fourth in rebounding (7.4) and fifth in assists (3.71) ... Willis is first in the Pac-10 in steals (3.43) and is third in three-point field goals made (2.14) ... Willis is shooting .897 for the season (26-29) from the free throw line ...Three players currently have more assists than turnovers this season (Quinn, Blue and Ortal Oren), and three have more steals than turnovers (Willis, Quinn, Lauren Pedersen).

Scouting the Sun Devils -- Arizona State has 10 players averaging at least 10 minutes of action. Sophomore forward Emily Westerberg is the leading scorer with a 11.7 ppg mark (11th in the Pac-10). 6-3 junior forward Kristen Kovesdy leads the Pac-10 in field goal percentage (.636). The Sun Devils have non-conference wins over UConn (61-50) and Georgia (67-57) in '04-05.

The Series With Arizona St. -- UCLA leads the series, which dates back to 1977, 39-14. The Bruins have won four of the last five meetings, including two of the three matchups last season. The last meeting took place in the Pac-10 Tournament on March 6, 2004, a 70-50 UCLA win (Quinn - 16). UCLA won at home on Feb. 14 by a 73-64 count (Quinn - 24) and lost at ASU by a 73-58 (Quinn - 15) score on Jan. 15.

Scouting the Wildcats -- Arizona shared the conference regular season title with Stanford last season. Senior guard Dee-Dee Wheeler enters the week leading the Pac-10 in scoring (19.4). 6-5 junior center Shawntinice Polk is third in the conference in rebounding (8.2) and seventh in scoring (13.5).

The Series With Arizona -- UCLA leads the series, which dates back to 1977, by a margin of 36-16. The Bruins split the two meetings last season, winning 87-68 on Feb. 12 in Pauley (Quinn - 31 / Wheeler - 25) and dropping a 70-54 decision (Willis - 15 / Polk - 21) in Tucson on Jan. 17.

Coaches and Media Pick Bruins To Finish Third In Pac-10 -- The Pac-10 women's basketball coaches picked UCLA to finish third, with one first-place vote, in the pre-season poll. Stanford, with eight first-place votes, was the choice to finish first. Next was Arizona (one first-place vote), UCLA, Arizona St., Oregon, Washington, USC, California, Oregon St. and Washington St.

The Pac-10 media also selected UCLA to finish third (122 points). Stanford, with eight first-place votes and Arizona, with seven first-place votes, were picked to repeat as co-champions with 140 each. Arizona State was fourth, followed by Washington, Oregon, USC, Oregon St., Cal and Wash. St.

Blue, Quinn Earn National Honors -- Guards Nikki Blue and Noelle Quinn have been selected to several pre-season watch lists for national honors, including the pre-season Naismith Award list, the Wade Trophy Watch List and the Wooden Award All-America Watch List. Blue and Quinn were also named to the pre-season All-Pac-10 Conference team. Blue received honorable mention honors in the AP Pre-Season All-America list and first-team acclaim from Women's Basketball News Service.

Game Recaps: Jan. 9 - UCLA 74, at Washington 63 -- After Washington jumped out to a 20-10 advantage, the Bruins rallied and stormed back to take a 39-29 lead at the half. UCLA led by double digits for most of the second half, before one final Husky rally narrowed the margin to 63-60 with four minutes to play. Lisa Willis and Lindsey Pluimer hit a pair of free throws each to help secure the win. Noelle Quinn led four Bruins in double digits with 18 points. Nikki Blue added 15 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.

Jan. 7 - UCLA 89, at Wash. State 69 -- After WSU opened up a 29-21 first half margin, the Bruins closed the half with a 16-5 run to take a 37-34 lead at the break. Lisa Willis keyed a second half charge, scoring 17 of her game-high 25 points.

Trebilcock To Join Bruins In 2005-06 -- Guard Ashlee Trebilcock of Newhall, CA (Hart HS) has signed a national letter-of-intent with UCLA and will join the Bruins in the 2005-06 season. A 5-9 guard, Trebilcock is considered by some publications to be one of the Top 25 recruits in the nation. She led her team to the Foothill League championship in 2004 and to the final game of the CIF Southern Section Division I championship, where she scored a career-high 34 points. She is a two-time Los Angeles Daily News Player of the Year and attended the Nike All-America camp in 2003 and the USA Junior Olympic tryouts in 2004. As a junior at Hart HS, she averaged 21.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and handed out 94 assists. In her sophomore year, she averaged 16.7 points.

Player Bio Updates

#00 Ortal Oren -- Has scored in 13 of the 14 games in which she has played ... Totaled three points and two rebounds at UW ... Had two assists at WSU ... Handed out three assists in home win over Oregon ... Had four points and a career-high five rebounds in home win over Oregon St. ... Made her first career start at Ohio St. ...Had four points in both the Illinois and Fresno St. games ... Had three points in win over No. 14 Purdue ... Scored six at Pepperdine ... Had four points and career-high four assists vs. Clemson ... Scored nine against Gardner-Webb ... Had eight points in the opener against TCU ... Saw action in 28 games last season and averaged 3.2 points and 1.5 rebounds. Career Highs: Points - 11 v. Fresno St., 12-21-03; Rebounds - 5, v. Oregon St., 1-2-05; Assists - 4 v. Clemson, 11-24-04; Steals - 3, last vs. Wash. St., 1-5-03.

#3 Shaina Zaidi -- Has appeared in six games this season ... Scored five at WSU ...Had two points and three boards in home win over Oregon St. ... Had four points in the Clemson win ... Scored career-best five points in win over Gardner-Webb ... Had 10 points in exhibition game against West Coast All-Stars ... Saw action in nine games last season. Career Highs: Points - 5, last at Washington State, 1-7-05; Assists - 3 v. Clemson, 11-24-04; Rebs. - 3, v. Oregon St., 1-2-05.

#5 Stephanetta Bingley -- Has yet to appear in a regular season game ... Saw her first action as a Bruin in the exhibition game against the West Coast All-Stars ... Walked on to the team during the pre-season and will provide additional depth in the Bruin backcourt.

#11 Julia Pitts -- Expected to redshirt after undergoing knee surgery during each of her first two seasons as a Bruin ... Saw action in 18 games and was a starter in nine games last season ... Averaged 3.9 points and 2.8 rebounds per game ... Her season came to an early end when she had knee surgery on Feb. 12, 2004 to repair torn meniscus in her left knee.

#14 Lindsey Pluimer -- Has scored in double figures in the last six games (nine overall) ...Totaled 14 points and seven rebounds at UW ... Had 10 points and led the team in rebounds with seven at WSU ... Totaled 13 points before fouling out against Oregon ... Had 10 points and six boards in home win over Oregon St. ...Scored 12 points, including a pair of threes, and four boards in the win over USC ... Led the Bruins with 16 points and a career-high tying nine rebounds (five offensive) at Ohio St. ...Scored five points with four boards at Illinois ...Had eight points and five rebounds at Fresno St. ...Recorded 12 points, three steals and six rebounds in Purdue win ... Scored a game-high 22 points and pulled down five rebounds at Pepperdine ... Had seven points and five rebounds in Texas win ... Totaled 13 points and five rebounds in Clemson win ... Had eight points and seven rebounds versus Gardner-Webb ... Led Bruins with nine boards and three blocks against TCU ...McDonald's, Parade Magazine and Street and Smith's HS All-American selection ... Led her San Clemente HS team to four straight CIF Southern Section I-A titles ... Named first-team all-state by Cal-Hi Sports ... Three-time CIF Southern Section I-A Player of the Year ... Averaged 24.6 points, 4.8 blocks and 10.3 rebounds as a senior. Career Highs: Points - 22, at Pepperdine, 12-2-04; Rebs. - 9, last at Ohio St., 12-21-04; Blocks - 3 v. TCU, 11-19-04; Steals - 3, last v. Purdue, 12-5-04.

#20 Lauren Pedersen -- Has scored 25 points in the last six games ... Had three points in the win at WSU ... Scored five in the home win over Oregon ... Had career-best totals of nine points, four rebounds (tied) and three steals in home win over Oregon St. ... Scored eight points (3-4 fg shooting) at Ohio St. ...Recorded four rebounds at Illinois ...Had three points and two steals versus Purdue ... Registered five points and three assists against Clemson ... Scored five versus Gardner-Webb ... Grabbed three rebounds against TCU ...Second-team all-state selection by Cal-Hi Sports ... CIF Southern Section Div. II-A Player of the Year in 2004 at Brea Olinda HS ... Helped team to CIF Southern Section Div. II-A championship as a senior ... Averaged 14.7 points as a senior. Career Highs: Points - 9 v. Oregon St., 1-2-05; Rebs. - 4, last v. Oregon St., 1-2-05; Assists - 3 v. Clemson, 11-24-04; Steals - 3 v. Oregon St., 1-2-05.

#21 Brittany Ringel -- Has seen action in two games ... Scored her first collegiate points in the home win over Oregon St. and grabbed an offensive rebound at Washington State ... Starter at outside hitter on the volleyball team ... Rejoined the basketball squad Dec. 13, 2004 ... The Bruin team lost in the NCAA Regional volleyball final in Seattle on Dec. 11.

#22 Consuelo Lezcano -- Scored six points at UW ...Totaled a career-best nine points, five boards (tied career-best), one assist and one block at WSU ... Had two points (her first basket of the season) and a blocked shot in home win over Oregon St. ... Scored two in win over Texas ... Pulled down four boards against Clemson ... Had three points and five rebounds versus Gardner-Webb ... Had four points against TCU ...Saw action in eight games last season ... Averaged 2.0 points and 0.5 rebounds a year ago. Career Highs: Points - 9 at Washington State, 1-7-05; Rebs. - 5, last at Washington State, 1-7-05; Blocks - 1, last at Wash. St., 1-2-05.

#31 Amanda Livingston -- Fouled out with six points at UW ... Had 11 points with four rebounds and three steals at WSU ...Totaled six points, three rebounds and a block in home win over Oregon St. ... Had six points and six rebounds versus USC ...Recorded eight points, three rebounds, two blocked shots and three steals at Ohio St. ...Scored eight points with a career-high three blocked shots at Illinois ...Tied her career-high with 13 points, hitting her first five shots from the field, in Fresno St. win ... Had four boards against Purdue... Pulled down a career-best eight rebounds (seven offensive) at Pepperdine ... Had five rebounds versus Texas ...Grabbed four boards against Clemson ... Scored 12 and had a career-best five assists versus Gardner-Webb ... Had 10 points and three assists against TCU ...Saw action in all 30 games last year. Career Highs: Points - 13, last at Fresno St., 12-11-04; Rebs. - 8 at Pepperdine, 12-2-04; Assists - 5 v. Gardner-Webb, 11-21-04; Steals - 4 at Ariz. St., 1-15-04; Blks. - 3 at Illinois, 12-19-04.

#32 Nikki Blue -- Has scored in double figures in seven of the last eight games in which she has played ... Has had more turnovers than assists in only one of her 13 games played this season ... Totaled 15 points, seven assists, nine rebounds and four steals at UW ... Had eight points and six assists at WSU ... Had 16 points, nine rebounds, five assists and four steals in home win over Oregon ... Totaled 11 points, six boards, eight assists and two blocks in home win over Oregon St. ... Had 15 points and seven rebounds versus USC ... Sat out the Ohio St. game for precautionary reasons after suffering from concussion-like symptoms following a blow to the head in the Illinois game ...Led the Bruins with 17 points and four assists at Illinois ...Became the 20th Bruin to reach the 1,000 point mark in the second half at Fresno State on her way to a 22-point, eight rebound, six assist night ... Had 11 points, seven steals and six assists versus No. 14 Purdue ... Handed out four assists and scored six points at Pepperdine ... Totaled 13 points, five rebounds and four assists versus Texas ... Handed out four assists and scored seven against Clemson ... Had four assists and three steals versus Gardner-Webb ... Handed out seven assists versus TCU ...Sat out the exhibition game against West Coast All-Stars due to an ankle injury suffered in the second week of pre-season practice ...Starter in all 29 games last season ... Named to the pre-season Wooden Award All-American and Wade Trophy Watch Lists ...Earned honorable mention pre-season All-America acclaim from AP and Street & Smith's Magazine ...Selected to the All-Pac-10 first-team in 2004 for the second straight season ... Scored a school NCAA tournament best 33 points against Minnesota last season ... Ranked seventh in the Pac-10 in scoring, 12th in rebounding, third in assists, second in steals and sixth in assist/turnover ratio last season. Career Highs: Points - 35 at Washington, 2-1-03; Rebs. - 12 v. Sacramento St., 11-24-02; Assists - 11 v. Arizona, 2-12-04; Steals - 8 v. Oregon, 3-8-03.

#40 Lisa Willis -- UCLA's all-time three-point shot leader ...Has made 18 of her last 19 free throws ...Registered 10 points, seven rebounds and three steals at UW ... Poured in a season-high 25 with five three-pointers to key the win at WSU ... Totaled 11 points, eight rebounds and a career-best three blocked shots in home win over Oregon ... Had eight points and moved into first place on the all-time school list for made three-pointers in the home win over Oregon St. ... Had 13 points and a game-high tying nine rebounds in USC win ...Contributed 15 points and six rebounds at Ohio St. ...Scored 15 with six rebounds and four steals at Illinois ...Had 18 points and career-high totals of 10 boards (her first career double-double) and seven assists at Fresno ... Totaled 14 points, four steals and three assists against Purdue ... Moved into first on the all-time school list in three-point shots attempted against Purdue ... Had 14 points and seven boards at Pepperdine ... Battled foul trouble to score eight points in versus Texas ... Totaled 18 points, eight rebounds, six assists and eight steals (tied career high) against Clemson ... Had 16 points and eight rebounds versus Gardner-Webb ... Registered a team-high 15 points in the opener against TCU ...Only player to start all 30 games last season ... Her season total of 100 steals ranked third on the all-time school list ... Her average of 3.3 steals ranked 11th in the nation ... Set a school record with 70 made three-point shots ... Hon. mention All-Pac-10 ... Ranked first in the Pac-10 in steals and three-point shots made, seventh in three-point shooting percentage and defensive rebounds, 10th in scoring and 15th in rebounding. Career Highs: Points - 31 at Cal, 2-19-04; Rebs. - 10 at Fresno St., 12-4-04; Assists - 7 at Fresno St., 12-4-04; Steals - 8, last v. Clemson, 11-24-04.

#44 Emma Tautolo -- Scored two at UW ... Had two points and four boards at WSU ...Had four points and four rebounds in home win over Oregon ... Had four points at Fresno St. ... Scored two points against Purdue and four at Pepperdine ... Grabbed four rebounds versus Texas ... Had four points against Clemson ... Had three points versus Gardner-Webb ... Scored two against TCU ...Appeared in 24 games last season ... Averaged 1.9 points and 1.3 rebounds. Career Highs: Points - 10 v. Illinois, 11-30-03; Rebs. - 6 at CSUN, 12-17-03; Assists - 3 at CSUN, 12-17-03; Steals - 2 at Wash. St., 2-7-04.

#45 Noelle Quinn -- Has 27 steals in her last seven games ... Scored a team-high 18 points at UW ... Had 10 points and six assists at WSU ...Totaled 15 points and nine rebounds in home win over Oregon ... Recorded her 11th career double-double with 20 points (has 14 overall 20-point games for her career) and 12 rebounds in home win over Oregon St. ... Also had six assists and a career-best eight steals ...Named U.S. Bank Pac-10 Player of the Week (third time this season, fifth time in her career) for her play versus the Oregon schools Dec. 30-Jan. 5 ... Had team-high totals of 16 points, nine rebounds (tied), four assists and four steals versus USC ... Scored 11 points with four assists at Ohio St. ...Had her six-game streak of scoring 20 points or more snapped at Illinois after scoring 14 ... Led UCLA in rebounding (seven) and steals (six) in the Illinois game ...Had her sixth straight 20-point outing (she also had six in a row last season) with 21 points at Fresno St. and had a team-high 12 rebounds against the Bulldogs ... Scored 23 in the win over Purdue and led the team in rebounding with seven ...Scored 20 at Pepperdine and tied for team lead with eight rebounds ...U.S. Bank Pac-10 Player of the Week (Nov. 29-Dec. 5) for the second straight week ... Pac-10 Player of the Week and UCLABruins.com/MET-Rx Student-Athlete of the Week for Nov. 22-28 ... Had 27 points and 11 rebounds in Texas win ... Her basket with 13 seconds remaining gave UCLA a 61-60 lead over Texas and her two free throws with five seconds to play made it 63-60 ... Had 23 points and seven steals against Clemson ... Named to the all-tournament team at the Miami Jam ... Led the Bruins with team-high totals of 20 points, six assists and nine rebounds against Gardner-Webb ...Had 14 points against TCU ... Named to the pre-season Wooden Award All-American and Wade Trophy Watch Lists ...Earned High Honorable Mention pre-season All-America acclaim from Street & Smith's Magazine ...Pac-10 Freshman of the Year and first-team all-conference selection ... Ranked sixth in the Pac-10 in scoring, fifth in rebounding; ninth in assists and offensive rebounding, fourth in steals and defensive rebounds and seventh in assists/turnover ratio ... Set a freshman school record with six straight 20-point games ... Recorded the fourth triple-double in school history with 21 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists at California. Career Highs: Points - 31 v. Arizona, 2-12-04; Rebs. - 15, v. Oregon 1-29-04; Assists - 10, at Cal 2-19-04; Steals - 8 v. Oregon St., 1-2-05; Blks. - 1, last v. Oregon St., 1-2-05.

# 54 Sissy Pickett -- Has seen action in eight games this season ... Had four points and two rebounds at WSU ...Had three boards in home win over Oregon St. ... Had two points and four rebounds versus Clemson ... Had four points and two rebounds against Gardner-Webb ... Played in the opener against TCU, but did not score ...Saw action in 11 games last season ... Averaged 1.5 points and 0.5 rebounds ... Career 77% free throw shooter. Career Highs: Points - 13, v. Wash. St., 2-1-02; Rebs. - 6, at Ariz, 2-14-02; Steals - 2, v. Wash. St., 2-1-02.

Head Coach Kathy Olivier -- In her 12th season as UCLA head coach, Kathy Olivier has energized the program to reflect her own positive, upbeat and outgoing personality. The former standout player at Cal State Fullerton and UNLV has helped to produce two Pac-10 Players of the Year, three Pac-10 Freshman Players of the Year and a Pac-10 team championship. She is the only current Pac-10 coach to have as many as three freshmen named first-team All-Conference performers. From 1998-2000, she guided UCLA to a school-best three-straight NCAA tournament appearances and had the Bruins in the NCAA tournament again last season. Her teams have finished among the top four in the Pac-10 conference in five of the last seven seasons.

Interest in UCLA women's basketball has taken off to new levels under coach Olivier. The only six regular season crowds in school history of over 7,000 fans have come out to support the Bruins during her tenure. Her 2000 squad attracted a school record average of over 3,700 fans per game. Her 1999 Pac-10 championship squad drew a school record crowd of 9,530 for a home win over USC.

While her teams favor a running style on offense, defense has always been an Olivier strong point. Six of the all-time school top 10 marks for lowest opponent field goal percentages belong to Olivier-coached squads.